…Moving on to the Marvel Cinematic Universe now and some new set photos and video from Avengers: Infinity War have arrived online, further supporting the reports that Thanos will be joined in the superhero epic by his top generals the Black Order [take a look here], while a casting call has gone out seeking extras for scenes which will be shot in New York City in May…
…With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 fast approaching, we’ve been treated to a host of promo artwork and international character posters for the hotly-anticipated sequel this week [see here, here and here], while EFX Collectibles unveiled its Star-Lord replica helmet [see here] and director James Gunn spoke about the freedom he’s been afforded on the movie: “On the second movie I had a lot more freedom. Because the first movie did well and it was great not having to explain the five major characters to the audience in the first half hour, we just go straight into the story. This has to be its own thing and you can’t start making this a shitty Xerox of the first one…”
…Sony and Marvel released a brand new trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming this week [watch it here], while we also got some new details on Michael Keaton’s The Vulture, including the fact that he’s out for revenge against Tony Stark after his salvage company is put out of business by a new Stark-backed government venture tasked with cleaning up after superheroes (if you think that sounds a lot like Damage Control, that’s because it is Damage Control). Meanwhile, on the rumour front, it’s been reported that Gwyneth Paltrow will be appearing in the film as Pepper Potts, while Sony’s Amy Pascal has revealed that Spider-Man could leave the MCU following the Homecoming sequel: “One of the things that I think is so amazing about this experience is that you don’t have studios deciding to work together to make a film very often. In fact it may never happen again, after we do the sequel. Because Sony, and Disney, and Marvel all decided that the right thing to do was to allow Peter Parker and Spider-Man to be in the MCU and to work with the Marvel guys and have them produce this film…”
…Sony is of course pushing ahead with its plans for a Spider-Man expanded movie universe with Venom and a Black Cat/Silver Sable movie, and it’s been reported this week that Venom will begin shooting in the fall as an R-rated action horror sci-fi, while a “hot rumour” has surfaced claiming that Adi Shankar, producer of the Venom fan film Truth in Journalism, leads the studio’s shortlist to direct. Meanwhile, Tom Holland was asked whether he’d be interested in appearing in the spinoffs, replying that: “I haven’t read a script. I haven’t seen any sort of concept art, so that would be something I would decide on when I see material…”
…Shifting back to the MCU now and this week brought us a promotional poster for Thor: Ragnarok featuring Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder alongside Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in his Planet Hulk armour [see here], while Marvel’s CinemaCon presentation also unveiled a new image of Thor racing into action [see here]…
…Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed moved swiftly this week to debunk a rumour that Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye would be appearing alongside Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne in next summer’s sequel, while we also got a glimpse of the first logo for the film thanks to Disney’s CinemaCon presentation…
…Speaking of logos, Marvel also unveiled the updated design for the ABC and IMAX series Inhumans, which you can see here…
…Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC this coming Tuesday, and we’ve got an illustrated poster and clip for the next episode ‘What If…’ [see here], as well as the official synopsis for the following week’s ‘Identity and Change’ [see here]…
…Iron Fist star Jessica Henwick has revealed that she had second thoughts about taking on the role of Colleen Wing in the Netflix series owing to the accusations that the character and show has whitewashed Asian culture: “It was a hard decision to make to join the show. Not because of the material or anything. But I’m part of the Asian community. I’m Asian. I’m an actor. If anyone understands the conversation, it’s me. I’ve lived and breathed it.” Be sure to read Liam Hoofe’s review of the first season of Iron Fist here…
…This week has brought a new piece of casting news for The Punisher, with set photos revealing that Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is set to appear in the Daredevil spinoff. There’s no details on her character, but speculation is suggesting that she could be playing the Punisher MAX character Kathryn O’Brien, or mob boss Ma Gnucci…
…After reports last week that Brad Pitt is being eyed for the role of Cable in Deadpool 2, director David Leitch revealed that Pitt was in talks, but wasn’t able to work things out schedule-wise, seemingly leaving the door open for Michael Shannon to take on the role. Leitch also said that he plans to ramp up the action in the sequel whilst keeping the same tone established by Tim Miller on the first movie, while screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick shared their idea for a Hugh Jackman cameo, and Morena Baccarin spoke about her character Vanessa, stating that she’d like to see her evolve into Copycat in the sequel…
…And finally, the first season of Legion drew to a close this week, and you can read Rachel Bellwoar’s review of the season finale here. Meanwhile, showrunner Noah Hawley has been speaking about the already-announced second season, stating that he expects it to be longer than the first: “My feeling with the first season, because it’s such a complex show, was that eight hours was the right amount. Now that the show has its identity… we have the opportunity to broaden it a little bit. All that means a lot more work for me in the immediate future, but I have nobody to blame but myself.”
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
Originally published April 1, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
